City Building on Garden Street Earns LEED Certification

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/021210_city_building_on_garden_street_earns_leed_certification/

By Jim Dewey

The offices incorporate a variety of sustainable features

The city of Santa Barbara’s office building at 630 Garden St. has been awarded LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building features optimized use of energy and water, environmentally preferred products, recycling programs and system upgrades. A ceremony to accept the award will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the front entrance to the building.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent of water consumption and 15 percent of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million U.S. jobs.

LEED is the nation’s pre-eminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

— Jim Dewey is the facilities manager for the city of Santa Barbara Public Works Department.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/021210_city_building_on_garden_street_earns_leed_certification/